Birth by Dragon: Halong Bay

Halong translates to “Descending Dragon” and you can see how this UNESCO site got that name. Many of the limestone formations have also been given names, such as “Heavenly Gate” pictured here. The Bay is located in the Gulf of Tonkin within the South China Sea. Fog and haze surrounded our morning trip on a re-imagined “junk,” as we journeyed around a few of the areas’ thousands of Karst islets.

Our visit to the Thien Cung “Heavenly Palace” Cave on Dau Go Island was magical and far exceeded my expectations; even a claustrophobic would not feel oppressed here. It was so amazing, I didn’t even think about the hundred steps up to enter or the few hundred more once inside. Locals have added some colored lights and while not at all necessary, it was a very pretty effect that photos don’t do justice. Nor do photos capture the enormity and grander of this unique underground system.

Generally, visitors here also see floating camps of fisherman, but with the pending New Year celebrations, they headed inland for vacation.

Our ship was anchored in the Bay and by the sail-away later in the day, the haze lifted and it proved to be a fabulous photo-op. I didn’t want it to end.